Salman Khan's new act: playing godfather in Bollywood!

There may not be a recipe for success, but if you aspire to be a Bollywood actor, here’s a formula that will give you that all-important break — get Salman Khan to take you under his wing.

Already famous
The man with the Midas touch has aided the careers of well-established actors, such as Katrina Kaif and Sonakshi Sinha. Katrina’s first hit came with the Salman-starrer Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya (2005). Sonakshi, of course, found instant fame with Dabangg (2010). He also launched Zarine Khan with Veer (2010), and gave Asin’s career a fillip with Ready (2011).

Now launching
Come 2014, and Salman will help launch a fresh set of newbies. Aditya Pancholi’s son Sooraj will be seen in the remake of Hero (1983), produced by Salman. The film will also feature Suneil Shetty’s daughter, Athiya. “Both Sooraj and Athiya are working hard. It’s great when you have Salman bhai’s support,” says Aditya.

Katrina’s sister, Isabelle, is set to debut with a crossover film, Dr Cabbie (co-produced by Salman), in which she will be seen alongside the Indian-American TV actor Kunal Nayyar. “When a name like Salman Khan is backing a film, it leaves you with an amazing feeling,” said Kunal in a previous interview with HT Café.

The next Salman-starrer — Sohail’s directorial venture, Jai Ho — will also feature newcomers Daisy Shah and Sana Khan. While Daisy was a former assistant to choreographer Ganesh Acharya, Sana is a popular face from TV commercials and was a contestant on the Salman-hosted TV show, Bigg Boss, last year.

Salman is also slated to introduce his bodyguard Shera’s son, Tiger, in Bollywood. “He is keeping a close eye on Tiger’s training process,” says an insider.

Also finding favour
Salman is also believed to be helping out Pulkit Samrat. The Fukrey actor will also be seen in Jai Ho, and is also starring in the Atul Agnihotri (Salman’s brother-in-law) production, O Teri. He is also touted to be part of Sooraj Barjatya’s next, Bade Bhaiyya, which has Salman in the lead. Even Ram Charan Teja, who starred in the Zanjeer remake, will team up with Salman for a film he is producing.